Music-rack for pianos, &amp;c.



PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905.

T. A. BRIDSON.

MUSIC RACK FOR PIANOS, 6w.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1904.

3111mm To:

witness UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. BRIDSON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO FOSTER- ARMSTRONGCOMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed November 17, 1904. Serial No. 233,077-

To alt whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. BRIDSON, of Rochester, in the county ofMonroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Music-Racks for Pianos, &c.; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, and to the refercnce-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to improvements in music-racks for pianos,and has for its object to provide a simple and cheap device forautomatically holding the ordinary hinged music-rack in position when inuse and permitting it to fold back in position when desired, said devicebeing capable of ready application to pianos in use.

To these and other ends my invention consists in certain improvementsand combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the endof the specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional view ofthe front portion of a piano provided with my improvement appliedthereto, the music-rack being shut. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing theholding device enlarged and engaging the front board, the lower portionof the latter only being shown in the figure. Fig. 3 is a sectional Viewon the line w m of Fig. 1. Fig. a is a sectional view on the line y y ofFig. 2.

Similar reference-numerals in the several figures indicate similarparts.

The piano to which my invention is shown applied is of the ordinary typeof upright piano having the two-part fall-board embodying hingedsections 1 and 2, the latter being pivoted to the rail 3 at the point 4:to fold beneath the ordinary ledge or board 5, having the head 6 at thefront edge.

7 indicates the tilting music-rack, pivoted at 8 and in the presentembodiment forming the front of the piano casing and serving, whentilted forward, to maintain the music which rests upon the board 5 atthe proper angle. In order to maintain this rack or front board inproper position and to provide an attachment readily applicable topianos of this type without cutting or altering the parts or interferingwith the action, I provide a rackholding device in the form of a thinhorizontally-movable arm 9, pivoted at 10 in rear of the rack, movablebeneath the latter, and provided with a projection 11, adapted to engagethe rear side thereof and held against it by a spring 12, the projectionbeing arranged relative to the pivot, so that the arm will be caused tofollow the rack when the lower edge is moved outwardly and will sustainthe weight of the rack and the music thereon because the point ofcontact with the arm is nearly in line with the pivot 10. The forwardoperating end of the arm projects in convenient position below the rack,so that when desired to return the rack or front to normal closedposition the arm is moved to the right a short distance only and theboard allowed to fall back, the tension of the spring not beingsufiicient to sustain the board. Thus it will be seen that the armfollows the movements of the rack and that it must be moved back by handonly a short distance to permit the return of the latter.

In the present embodiment of the invention the arm 9 is made of a singlepiece of sheet metal having the projection 11 cut, turned up from oneedge, and rounded as shown to permit the necessary turning withoutscratching the rear of the rack, and it is supported in a U-shapedbracket 13, the longer arm 14 of which is adapted to be secured, as byscrews or fastening devices 15, to the board 5. The arm or theprojection, or both, maybe covered with chamois skin or felt to preventnoise or marring the rack, if desired. The pivot-pin 10 extends throughthe arms of the bracket and the movable arm 9, the latter being moved inone direction by the spring 12, which is coiled around the pin, one endengaging the bracket and the other a lug 16, turned up from the arm 9.One of the rear corners of the arm 9 is cut away at 17, while the otheris adapted to engage the bracket, which latter constitutes a stop, thuspreventing the arm from moving too far under the stress of the spring.

The device as a whole is readily applicable to any piano having amovable music-rack or front of the type shown without special fittingand without liability of interfering with the action and may bemanufactured cheaply of sheet metal, if desired.

I claim as my invention 1. In a piano, the combination with a tiltingmusic-rack hinged on horizontal pivots, ot' a holding device thereforpivoted on a vertical pivot having a projection adapted to engage thelower edge of said rack and a spring for holding said projection inengagement with the rack.

2. In a piano, the combination with a tilting music-rack hinged onhorizontal pivots, of a holding device therefor embodying an arm pivotedon a vertical pivot and having a portion extending beneath the loweredge of the rack and a projection on the arm engaging the lower rearedge thereof.

3. In a piano, the combination with a tilting music-rack hinged onhorizontal pivots, of a horizontally-swinging arm pivoted in rear of thelower portion of said rack, having a projection for engaging the rack,an extended operating portion, a spring for moving the arm outwardly anda stop for limiting the movement of the arm.

4:. An attachment for the music-racks of pianos consisting of anattaching-bracket, an

arm pivoted therein, having a laterally-extending projection and anoperating-handle extending beyond the projection and a spring engagingthe bracket and arm for moving the latter in one direction.

5. In an attachment for pianos, the combination with theattaching-bracket, the arm pivoted thereon having the lateral projectionarranged intermediate its free end and the pivot, the spring engagingthe bracket and arm and stop devices for limiting the movement of thearm on its pivot.

6. In an attachment for pianos, the combination with a U-shapedattaching-bracket and a movable arm having a lateral projection thereon,of a pin extending between the arms of the bracket on which the movablearm is pivoted and a spring encircling the pin and engaging the arm andthe U-shaped portion of thebracket for turning the former in onedirection.

THOS. A. BRIDSON Witnesses:

J. W. SI-IoL. RoB'r. H. IVAND.

